Merlin's Right (It's Time)
by luvsbitca
Summary: Crown Prince Arthur just won an Olympic gold medal and he's about to let the entire world in on something that he's been keeping just for him. Written for merlinolympics at LJ


**Title –** Merlin's Right (It's Time)  
 **Author –** Moonbeam  
 **Prompt –** None  
 **Pairing(s) –** Arthur/Merlin  
 **Olympic Events –** Swimming  
 **Word Count –** 2000ish  
 **Summary –** Crown Prince Arthur just won an Olympic gold medal and he's about to let the entire world in on something that he's been keeping just for him. Written for merlinolympics at LJ  
 **Rating –** Gen  
 **Disclaimer –** I own nothing, Merlin and the Olympics are well beyond my scope.  
 **Warnings –** Nothing  
 **Author's Note –** This is not the story I wanted to post, until Thursday when I realised that the other thing I'm working on was not going to be finished in time for today, so I put that aside and wrote my other idea. I was planning on writing this anyway so I'm glad I'm getting to post it here, and hopefully the other thing will be finished in time for the Closing Ceremony.

 **Merlin's Right (It's Time)**  
by Moonbeam

Crown Prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot, heir to the throne, son of Uther and Ygraine Pendragon, and sister to Lady Morgana Le Fay, Princess of Camelot, slammed his hand into the sensor at the end of the lane. He turned around and looked up at the results immediately. He had pushed himself as far as he could, but he knew from bitter experience, and his father's regular comments on the empty gold medal case, that just because he'd pushed himself as hard as possible didn't mean he'd won. He'd been in front at the last turn but he breathed on the wrong side to be in lane five.

His breath caught in his chest as he waited for the names to start flashing up and then relief washed over him.

1 ARTHUR PENDRAGON CML 47:00 OR

He hadn't just won the race, he hadn't just finally earned the gold medal that might prove to his father that all of the years of focussing on his swimming instead of solely on his royal duties was worth it, he'd also managed to put his name on a record that could only be beaten at an Olympics.

He grinned, throwing his hands up in the air in enjoyment, before he turned and congratulated the other competitors. Then he started to make his way out of the pool, eyes flicking up to the stands, first looking for his family and then towards the Great Britain athletes. He smiled and waved at the camera; ensuring that his excitement and relief were _respectable_. Sometimes he looked at the other athletes who were all able to be as natural as they wanted and he was jealous. He was aware they were probably just as jealous of him and his position as a prince. But right now he wanted to scream, he wanted to gloat, he wanted to dance around in joy and scream out at the top of his lungs that he had done it, he had done it and no one else. But he knew he couldn't.

He stepped over to the officials and did everything required before he turned and started to walk down the line of reporters. He was the only competitor who made a point of stopping and speaking to everyone. They all asked similar questions but he slipped into his normal media persona without thought and answered them all as though they were the first time he had heard them.

 _Yes, he was very pleased for his first individual gold medal.  
It meant just as much to him as the team gold they had achieved in the men's 400m medley relay.  
He was looking forward to the 50m race but that was a focus for the next day.  
It was wonderful to represent his country at the Olympics.  
His focus in Rio was the Olympics, he'd go back to focussing on his other duties when he got home.  
Yes, (haha) he did think the gold medal would go well with his crown. _

As soon as he got out the back he ran through his warm down, it was a quick one – they only had a few minutes before they would need to be out on the pool deck for the medal. He pulled himself out of the warm down pool and stepped into one of the shower stalls, he pulled his swimsuit off, always so pleased at the freedom after being shoehorned into the material. He stood under the water for a few seconds – just enough to remove some of the chlorine. He'd have to do a proper warm down with the physio after the presentation but for now he felt more prepared to be out there again. He dried off and pulled on the red Camelot tracksuit with the gold dragon emblazoned across his chest.

He checked his phone – four messages from Merlin. The first from before the race but he hadn't been looking at his phone, and the rest obviously from after.

 **You're amazing – no matter what, I love you, love you, love you, and if you come last or forget how to swim I will still love you. You utter clotpole.  
OH MY GOD! You just fucking won and I could not be more proud of you.  
I'm going to be fucking an Olympic gold medal winner…30 hours and counting.  
YOU WON! Smile, you won!**

Arthur smiled. Merlin was utterly ridiculous. He flicked over to his clock and set a timer for 30 hours. He took a screen shot and sent that to Merlin. Moments later his phone buzzed.

 **I love you.  
I'm so proud of you.  
I think I might have lost my voice yelling for you to win.  
I think my teammates have mentally stabbed me in the back about thirty times for cheering for the wrong country.  
You did this Arthur, no one else. You did this!**

Arthur felt his eyes prickle and blinked.

 **You are such a girl's petticoat Merlin**

Merlin wrote back immediately.

 **And you love me.**

Arthur closed his eyes.

"100m Men's freestyle medallists," an official called. Arthur looked down at the screen and typed a quick message before he stood up to join the processional.

 **I love you.**

Arthur waited patiently while they went thought the bronze medallist, then the silver medallist. He waited for his name, not looking up at the crowd, not searching out his sister or his father, not searching out Merlin's face but focussing on the next few minutes, this was about him – he'd been working, he'd been fighting for the right to be here, he'd pushed himself as far as he could and now it was all worth it. This was his, and he didn't want to share it with anyone else.

"Arthur Pendragon, of Camelot." Arthur stepped up onto the dais and smiled brightly.

Arthur waved at the crowd as they walked around the pool deck and saw Merlin, screaming down at him, waving like mad and looking like he was crying. Arthur thought back to their last conversation and made a decision. He stepped around the journalists and climbed up the stairs towards Merlin. He caught the Welshman's eyes and smiled bright. Merlin frowned at him but still stepped down until he was standing at the railings. Arthur climbed up and grabbed onto the railings to pull himself up.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked.

Arthur yanked him down by his Great Britain tracksuit. "You were right, let's tell the world."

Merlin's eyes widened just before Arthur's lips connected with his. The crowd exploded in noise around them but Arthur paid them no mind – he kept the kiss chaste but he didn't want to pull away either. Merlin was the first to pull away, his ears delightfully pink.

"You said…" Merlin started.

"I know, I'm a cabbage head. Marry me."

Merlin gaped at him for a minute, nodding dumbly. "I'll have to now."

"Idiot."

"I love you," Merlin said, kissing him again. "Now get down there and finish parading for the cameras."

"30 hours."

"Tonight, this morning, whatever time it is. As soon as you get back?" Merlin suggested.

"Tonight," Arthur agreed. "My room?"

"Your room."

Arthur climbed back down the steps, ignoring the flashing bulbs. He'd been ignoring lights flashing in his eyes since he was a small child, one of the many downsides to growing up in the era of the paparazzi.

He knew that was the photo that would be everywhere. It wouldn't be a photo of him on the dais, though that would be seen. And it wouldn't be a photo of him climbing out of the pool – though he was sure his father would have already purchased something for the medal wall. It would be the photo of him kissing Merlin. That would be _the_ photo of the day. There would be other ones, there would be ones of heartbreak and triumph, but unless there was a global disaster, unless something unprecedented happened, tomorrow that would be the photo that would be seen everywhere. And he was glad; he felt the tightness that had been weighing down on his chest for months now. And the guilt of the fact he was forcing Merlin to hide their relationship, though the people that mattered knew – but the rest of the world didn't. Now, everyone knew, just like Merlin wanted. Just like Merlin had argued for before the Olympics. Arthur had disagreed, wanting to wait, wanting to keep this as just his for a little longer, but now he didn't care because they were Merlin and Arthur and that wouldn't change when the rest of the world knew about it. Not in any way that truly mattered.

He was an Olympic gold medallist in an individual event. He was a Crown Prince. He was in love with a frustrating, dorky, Welsh diver, who loved him regardless of all of his issues, who was going to marry him and who he could fight with, make up with, and love for the rest of his life. He thought his life couldn't possibly get any better than this. Arthur smiled, waved, felt freer than he ever had as they finished their round of the photographers. He walked straight past the line of journalists, waving apologetically and rushed to the physio. Gwen gave him a look but went through her routine as quickly as possible for him.

He left her, agreed to be back first thing in the morning for another session and rushed back to the athlete's village.

Merlin was sitting on the floor in front of his door.

"Where's Leon?"

"He's bunking in Gwaine's room," Merlin said, allowing Arthur to pull him up. "I told him you're racing tomorrow so we were only going to cuddle and he laughed at me as he walked away."

"Cuddle?"

Merlin nodded. "You have another race tomorrow, we can cuddle. We have," he pulled Arthur's phone out of his pocket and checked the time. "Twenty-seven and a half hours before we can do the other thing."

Arthur pushed Merlin into his room and kissed him.

"You know you have seven missed calls from Uther," Merlin commented. "And three from Morgana."

"And you've already talked to Hunith," Arthur said. "Now let's forget about them and cuddle."

They crawled into bed, kissing, but not moving to do anymore – Arthur was exhausted, and he'd like nothing better than to celebrate with a shag with Merlin, after all they were…

Arthur froze. "Merlin, you never actually said yes."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I did so, but just to be clear – yes, I'm going to marry you and you're going to have to give me a crown and a cape and then we're going to live all our days being the definition of #couplegoals and everyone is going to hate us while they want to be us."

"Really?" Arthur asked, sinking down into the mattress more fully, he tucked Merlin into his side, their fingers tangling together along with their legs.

"And we will be the first royal couple to each have a gold medal and one day we are going to have a gaggle of kids and they are all going to have to choose swimming or diving."

"All planned out?"

Merlin nodded, pressing a kiss to Arthur's shoulder. "Was just waiting for you to be ready."

"I'm sorry I made you wait."

"I'm not," Merlin said. "I would have waited for you forever. If needed I would have just moved to Camelot and been your manservant until you were ready."

"You'd be a terrible manservant," Arthur said, eyes closed and stifling a yawn.

"I would be an amazing manservant…and I can prove that when we try it out after we get back to Camelot."

Arthur flushed at the promise. "Go to bed, _Mer_ lin."

"Goodnight, Arthur, I love you." Merlin whispered just for him.

"I love you too, Merlin," Arthur whispered back.

Moments later Merlin was snoring against his neck and he fell asleep with a contented smile on his face. They were good; he'd deal with everything else in the morning.

 **The End**


End file.
